Pierson: Washington politics may change, but Donald Trump will stay same

With the midterm elections behind us, the political realignment sought by the Democrats fell short of objectives, and President Trump remains as committed as ever to his America first agenda. As much as Trump is obstructed by the extreme liberals that comprise most of the Democratic Party and mainstream media, nothing much will change for the president as he fights for the forgotten men and women of our country.

Indeed, one thing Trump cannot be credibly accused of is lacking the courage to stand by his convictions. From the very start of his candidacy for president, he was mocked and spurned by the global elite, the political class, the mainstream media, and even the establishment of his own Republican Party. Not only did he persevere to win, he stuck to his positions despite the “experts” and their widespread derision. Only a man with his vision and his force of will could have accomplished that.

To this day, the fake news media call Trump every epithet they can conjure up. Politicians of lesser conviction routinely collapse in the face of such baseless attacks, but the president almost seems to draw strength from them. When the combined might of the mainstream media and establishment forces failed to thwart his election, they immediately set out to undermine the entire Trump administration with outright fabrications, gross exaggerations, and carefully laid traps.

Most notoriously, they alleged that his campaign had “colluded” with Russia, while the true source of that came from information concocted through the use of the FBI by the Obama administration to spy on members of the Trump campaign. Most of us would find it disconcerting, if not outright nerve wracking, to be the subject of an open investigation backed by the full resources of the federal government, but Trump has acted with admirable restraint, declining to use his authority to rein in or shut down the special counsel investigation. To be sure, he has repeatedly and justifiably criticized its motives and tactics, but he has never once given any indication that he fears what Robert Mueller might uncover.

Trump has brought that same fearlessness to the Oval Office, taking courageous positions on matters of both foreign and domestic policy and will continue to do so with the help of a stronger Republican majority in the Senate in the wake of the recent midterm elections. His reliably strong convictions have established America once again as the sole world superpower, as well, providing total clarity about where he stands.

When Syria illegally used chemical weapons against both civilians and rebel forces, Trump ordered a massive aerial strike to cripple the ability of the regime to use those weapons again, which Obama failed to do even after his purported “red line” crossed. Similarly, Trump has ordered sanctions against Russia even while seeking rapprochement with our wily rival, tore up the disastrous Iran nuclear deal, and braved dissent within his own party to bring real pressure on our NATO allies to pay their pledged share toward maintaining our international defense.

On the home front, Trump has consistently demonstrated impressive resolve, even against daunting political odds. When the allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh first broke, and most Republicans were doing their best to avoid television cameras so that they would not have to address the matter, the president boldly stood behind his nominee and assured the American people that Kavanaugh would ultimately be vindicated and confirmed to serve on the bench.

One reason for the political fearlessness of Trump lies in his unique relationship with the American people. He does not need to tailor a message with a focus group, because he can go directly to the men and women across the country, trusting in his own talent to communicate his vision to them in a way they will understand and support.

Whatever your personal feelings about the president, it is clear that he cannot be cowed into submission the way so many politicians have in the past. That is bad news for his opponents, but it is great news for the American people, who are the true beneficiaries of his grit and fearless determination. With the midterm elections behind us, look for a number of changes in Washington, but do not count Donald Trump among them.